


Together, I think that we can make it

by DavidRoseBrewer



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Caleb is nice and not evil, Happy Ending, M/M, Time Travel, this is mostly just fluff, with some light pining i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-17 05:41:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28719798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DavidRoseBrewer/pseuds/DavidRoseBrewer
Summary: “Guys, I know it’s been shitty but we gotta keep going. We’re going to be legends.” Luke repeated, but it was sounding weak even to him. He collapsed back into his chair, trying his best not to cry. That wasn’t his style, Alex was the emotional one of the group, but the band meant so much to him. Music meant so much to him. To give up now would just confirm everything his mom had ever screamed at him in their fights.“He’s right you know.” A strange voice floated across the studio from the doorway. All four boys looked up to see an equally strange-looking man standing there. He was dressed in a suit complete with tails and a top hat and was holding a cane in his hand.“I’m sorry?” Reggie asked, frowning in confusion.“He’s right.” The man repeated, pointing his cane towards where Luke was sitting. “You’re going to be legends.”ORSunset Curve gets a glimpse of their future first hand when Caleb takes them on a little trip to 2020.
Relationships: Alex Mercer & Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms), Alex Mercer/Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms), Bobby | Trevor Wilson & Alex Mercer, Bobby | Trevor Wilson & Alex Mercer & Luke Patterson & Reggie Peters, Bobby | Trevor Wilson & Luke Patterson, Bobby | Trevor Wilson & Reggie Peters, Luke Patterson & Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 55





	Together, I think that we can make it

**Author's Note:**

> So I watched the Dr Who scene on YouTube where they take Vincent Van Gogh to a Van Gogh exhibition to show him how much he was appreciated in modern times and that is 100% what inspired this fic. 
> 
> I have not seen Dr Who itself though so the rest is entirely improvised.
> 
> Shoutout to Mandy for helping me out and just listening to me ramble about this. You're the best 💖
> 
> This has not been beta-read so any mistakes are my own.

The mood in the studio was sombre and deadly quiet. In fact, Luke thought to himself that it probably hadn’t been this quiet since before the boys had moved their stuff in. Usually, he would be fighting that, doing his best to fill the space with noise. Whether that was with music, laughter or just chatting. But even Luke was tired, almost completely out of motivation.

Whilst all four of them loved their band, it was Luke who wholeheartedly believed that they were going to make it big one day. That they were going to be playing to stadiums of fans on sold out worldwide tours. His belief and passion were so strong that it was enough to keep all four of them hooked, all believing everything that Luke was telling them about their future. That their dreams were going to come true and they were going to have everything. They could forget all their problems because they were going to be stars. They were going to be legends.

But that dream was starting to flicker, even for Luke. He had been trying so hard to hold it together, to keep the hope alive but recently it had become an uphill battle that he didn’t seem to be winning. Sunset Curve had hit a stalemate, the gigs had dried up and no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t seem to move forward. They were just stuck, playing the same tiny gigs over and over again.

Tonight seemed to be the straw that broke the camel’s back. A book club. They had played at an actual book club. Full of middle-aged women and moms - hell that was how they had gotten the book club gig in the first place, because Bobby’s mom was in the group. 

So here they were afterwards, hanging out in the studio as they always did after a gig. Alex was perched up in the loft, Reggie and Bobby crashed out on the couch. Luke was sitting on a chair, hands over his face as he tried to channel his last bit of energy into hyping the boys up. He knew the future looked bleak but he couldn’t lose Sunset Curve. He didn’t have anything else, he  _ needed  _ this to work. 

“Come on boys, we got this. One of those moms in there might work for a record label or knows someone who works for a record label. All is not lost.” Luke said, getting up from his seat. He could feel everyone’s eyes turn to him, and he hoped he sounded more confident than he felt.

“Luke, we love you. But you gotta admit that things haven’t been going well.”

It was Alex who responded, looking dejected as he pushed his hair out of his face. 

“Yeah man, maybe we just need to take a break.” Bobby agreed quietly. “Like from the band and stuff.”

Luke turned to Reggie, hoping that the ever-optimistic ball of sunshine of a boy would be on his side and help to rally the others. He could tell from the pained expression on Reggie’s face though that it wasn’t the case.

“Sorry, Luke.” It was all Reggie needed to say to signal his agreement with the others. 

“Guys, I know it’s been shitty but we gotta keep going. We’re going to be legends.” Luke repeated, but it was sounding weak even to him. He collapsed back into his chair, trying his best not to cry. That wasn’t his style, Alex was the emotional one of the group, but the band meant so much to him. Music meant so much to him. To give up now would just confirm everything his mom had ever screamed at him in their fights.

“He’s right you know.” A strange voice floated across the studio from the doorway. All four boys looked up to see an equally strange looking man standing there. He was dressed in a suit complete with tails and a top hat and was holding a cane in his hand. 

“I’m sorry?” Reggie asked, frowning in confusion. 

“He’s right.” The man repeated, pointing his cane towards where Luke was sitting. “You’re going to be legends.” 

“What are you talking about? Who even are you?” Alex chimed in with his questions, the four of them on edge as they waited for an answer. How likely was it that something good was going to come of a stranger walking into the garage, and how likely was it that they were about to get murdered?

“Where are my manners? My apologies boys. My name is Caleb, and I’m here to give you a glimpse of the future.” The man replied. As Bobby went to open his mouth, Caleb waved his cane and suddenly the room had vanished from around them.

-x-

It was fast and there was a lot of spinning, almost how Luke imagined getting stuck in the washing machine or dryer would feel like. Was this death? Had Caleb actually murdered them in the garage? What was even happening? Before he had a chance to think any longer, there was a snap and they were suddenly standing on a sidewalk, in the middle of the day, somewhere that definitely was not LA.

“Where are we?” Alex asked, looking around them.

“Cleveland, the year 2020 at the Ro-” Caleb started to explain before Luke caught sight of the building behind him and finished the rest.

“The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.” Luke breathed, taking in the building in front of him. How did they even get here? They were in LA like two seconds ago. It had also been 1995 two seconds ago, and now apparently it was twenty five years later. This couldn’t be real life, he must be dreaming or something. He hadn’t taken any drugs so he couldn’t be tripping, could he? 

“What are we doing here?” Luke heard Reggie ask, he was too preoccupied with fantasising about getting inside the Hall of Fame itself to be thinking of questions. He had never been one for museums, but he would happily make an exception in this instance.

“Oh, there’s an induction going on today. Thought you boys might like to tag along.” Caleb shrugged.

“Seriously? That would be sick.” Luke grinned, happy to get any chance he could to get inside. He’d wanted to go to the Hall of Fame ever since he heard about it opening, but Cleveland was a hard sell to his parents when it came to their vacation choices. 

“Whose induction is it?” Bobby asked next.

“You’ll see.” Caleb simply shrugged, gesturing for them to follow him towards the entrance.

“What if it’s Green Day?” Alex suggested excitedly, falling into step next to Luke. 

“Dude, Green Day would be amazing. Or Nirvana. Or Blink-182. Or Good Charlotte.” Luke rambled, just reeling off their favourite bands. He and Alex spent hours together listening to music and sharing notes. It was something they usually did just the two of them, after rehearsals when the other two had been summoned home by their parents. 

Sure he loved Reggie and Bobby, but what he felt for Alex was on some kind of other level. Though Luke hadn’t figured out what exactly that meant yet. He knew Alex was gay, the blond had come out to the band a few months ago, but Luke liked girls. So quite what he was feeling, he had no idea. Maybe it was just how everyone felt about their best friend? That they were just a step above your other friends? Even your other best friends? He forced his thoughts back into their box as they reached the entrance. He had much bigger and more exciting things to focus on right now.

“People dress weirdly in 2020.” Bobby commented as some people walked past them. “And what are those?” He asked, gesturing to the small rectangular devices that everyone seemed to be carrying.

“Don’t worry about that, that’s not important.” Caleb shrugged the question off. “Also just so you know, no-one can see you right now. You’re visible to each other and me, but no-one else.” He explained.

“How are you even doing this? Are you some kind of wizard?” Reggie asked. “Like Gandalf?” 

“Also not important, but yes, something like that.” Caleb answered wryly. They made their way into the entrance before Caleb guided them up some stairs and into the heart of the museum. If they had paid much attention to their surroundings then the posters on the walls and signage would have given away exactly whose induction was taking place that afternoon, but the boys were too busy chatting amongst themselves to notice.

-x-

“Okay, here we are.” Caleb said, bringing them to a stop outside of a crowded room. “The main induction happens in the hall downstairs this afternoon. But I thought I’d bring you here, to the exhibit room first. Why don’t you go and have a look around?” He smiled knowingly, gesturing for the boys to lead the way into the room.

It was Luke who went in first, with the others following behind. There were glass cabinets all around them with pieces of memorabilia inside. He was too overwhelmed by the amount of people around them to pay attention to exactly what was inside the displays. 

It was Alex who realised first.

“What the  _ fuck _ …”

Luke turned around at Alex’s voice, his jaw physically dropping as he caught sight of the wall that all the boys were now staring at. For once in his life, he was speechless.

Along the top of the wall, typed in an ever recognisable font, was  _ Sunset Curve _ . Below that, there was a giant portrait of each of the boys along with several group photos. They looked different in most of them, older, but they were still recognisably them.

“This… this is our induction?” Luke asked slowly, finally finding his words as he looked over at Caleb for confirmation.

“Yes, yes it is.” Caleb nodded.

Luke spun around, his eyes darting around the cabinets again. Sure enough, he could now pick out certain pieces. He could see Alex’s pink hoodie hung up in one, along with Reggie’s red bass guitar and what looked like some papers with his handwriting scrawled on it. 

Now he was looking, he could also see record plaques lining the walls, there must have been at least twenty of them. There were a few gold coloured ones but most seemed to be platinum, which made his heart skip. 

“Sunset Curve made it to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?” Bobby asked incredulously, his eyes on stalks as he surveyed the room.

“Yes, you did. Why don’t you take a closer look around?” Caleb suggested, waving his hand at the room.

Luke didn’t need to be told twice, automatically being drawn towards the records. He began scanning the song titles on them. Some of the names were unfamiliar to him, obviously written after they’d left 1995, but some were their early music. He felt an overwhelming nostalgic pang at seeing that Now or Never was certified platinum. 

“Hey, Luke?” 

He was pulled from his thoughts by Reggie’s voice, looking over to see him standing with the others a few feet down, in front of more of the records.

“Yeah?”

“This one is multi-platinum. It says that you wrote this sometime in the mid-90s.” Reggie read from the card that was on the wall next to said record. “Have you been keeping a secret hit from us?” 

“No boys, of course not.” Luke shook his head, making his way over to where they were standing. “What’s it cal-” The question died on his lips as he saw for himself the name on the plaque.

_ Bright. _

So maybe he  _ had  _ been keeping a secret hit from them. At least unintentionally. 

Bright was the song hidden away at the back of his journal that he worked on whenever he thought about Alex and his confusing feelings for too long. It wasn’t even a full song yet, just some lines scribbled down with a vague melody attached. 

“I must have written it in like '96.” Luke lied, although he wasn’t sure his face was all that convincing. Alex was definitely giving him a suspicious look, probably able to see straight through his bullshit.

Why would older Luke have agreed to release that song? The feelings in that song were something he could barely admit to himself, let alone sing out loud for the world. Especially when that world included Alex himself.

“I’m gonna go look around some more.” Luke excused himself, diving into the crowd before anyone had the chance to respond. He needed to get a grip. This whole thing was insane to start with, if it was even real and not some crazy dream, but the Bright thing had just thrown him for another loop entirely.

Luke wandered around for a bit, trying to get out of his head as he looked at the various displays. The displays of their lives. It was weird seeing ordinary everyday things they owned on show, as if they were special. It did make him smile to see that his Rush t-shirt had made the cut, the writing even more faded than it was in 1995. He obviously had continued to wear it after their career took off. 

He quickly found his favourite thing to do was eavesdrop on the conversations around him. He loved hearing the people sharing stories of their Sunset Curve experiences, of what the band meant to them, of why they had bothered to travel to Cleveland for this event. It was humbling to hear how many people cherished their music, how many related to their lyrics, how many lives they had affected. This what he had always wanted, a connection with their audience. For people to really  _ feel  _ their music. 

-x-

After lapping the room a few times, Luke spotted Alex hovering by a display which was topped with a big rainbow flag and decided to make his way over.

“Hey, Caleb.” Luke heard Alex ask their wizard-guide as he approached them. “What does bisexual mean?” 

“Bisexual is a term for when someone is attracted to more than just one gender.” Caleb answered, setting off wheels in the back of Luke’s brain as he tried to process that answer. It felt familiar in some way that he couldn’t quite place yet.

“So… someone who likes girls and guys?” Alex repeated, and Luke watched as Caleb nodded. 

He then saw (and felt) Alex’s gaze land on him. His eyes were full of surprise and confusion. There was definitely a bit of intrigue, and if Luke had interpreted it correctly, there was the tiniest glimmer of hope there too. 

Luke frowned at the look before Alex stepped aside so Luke could read the display in full. It was talking about LGBT awareness and the work that Alex had done within the queer community. Sure there were a number of gay artists within the pop sphere whilst they were growing up in the 80s, but Alex had apparently been one of the first within their smaller punk and rock scenes to come out publicly. 

According to the display, it wasn’t just Alex though. Luke’s eyes widened in shock as he saw his own name printed up there, with the word bisexual printed right alongside it. Suddenly his feelings didn’t seem so strange or confusing. He didn’t like Alex more because he was his best friend, he liked him more because he had a fucking crush on him. He  _ was _ bisexual. It was like having a word for it made all the pieces click into place, and for the second time since they’d arrived, Luke was speechless. 

Luke stood and stared at the display for what felt like an age, grateful that Alex wasn’t pushing him to talk about it. The drummer could obviously sense that this was news to Luke, that he was still processing everything. Instead, the two of them just stood side by side, reading and re-reading about how they were both publicly out in the future, and that it wasn’t just accepted by their fans, but was actively celebrated.

“Alex, I-” Luke started to say before he was interrupted by an excitable Reggie bouncing over to them, Bobby in tow. It was fine, Luke didn’t even know how that sentence was going to end anyway.

“Guys! Guys! You’ll never guess what.” Reggie was beaming, his smile stretching from ear to ear.

“What?” Alex asked, with a quick glance at Luke before his attention was turned back to Reggie.

“I was just over there and whilst Luke didn’t agree to a full album, we had a country EP. It even got to number 2 on the Country Billboard charts.” 

Luke hadn’t been expecting Reggie to say that, and the surprise pulled a laugh from his lips. It was light and easy, a stark contrast to the heaviness of the last realisation. 

“No way, I don’t believe you.” Luke chuckled. “There’s no way I’d let you do that.”

“Uh-huh, there’s a full display over there. They’ve got my banjo and everything.” 

“Well, why don’t you show me... Sunset Curve goes country, who’d have thought?” Luke smiled, throwing his arm around Reggie’s shoulder. “And whilst we’re there, why don’t you tell me why you only got us to number 2, huh? Where’s our number 1? You gotta step up your game, Reg.” He teased, giving Alex one last look before letting Reggie guide him towards the country display in question. 

“You know there’s a photo in that display of Luke in a cowboy hat and boots.” Bobby commented to Alex as they watched the other two head off.

“Okay this I gotta see.” Alex laughed, the two of them setting off after the first pair.

-x-

Caleb let them have a bit more time looking around the exhibit before he called them over.

“Okay, it’s time for the main event.” Caleb announced, and with a wave of his cane, the room vanished once again.

This time when they reappeared, it was inside a packed hall. There were at least a couple of thousand people inside, with a stage up front. It sounded like Bobby was about to ask a question when Caleb held his hand up to silence him, the crowd bursting into cheers when a figure walked onto the stage a few seconds later, microphone in hand.

“Good evening ladies and gentlemen. My name is Luke Hemmings and as you may know, I’m the lead singer of 5 Seconds of Summer.”

“Who?” Luke found himself asking. Caleb ignored him, simply pointing his attention back to the stage.

“I’m here on behalf of the whole band to induct Sunset Curve into the Rock and Hall of Fame. This is a huge honour for me. Sunset Curve has been one of the biggest influences on our music. On a personal note, My Name Is Luke was the song that introduced me to rock and the rest is history.”

This other Luke, the one on stage, proceeded to talk for another five minutes or so about the achievements of Sunset Curve. It was surreal to say the least, to hear about all the things they had apparently done between 1995 and now. 

“So without further ado, please welcome to the stage, the newest members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Sunset Curve.” New-Luke grinned, raising his hand to the side. There was another cheer from the crowd and then there were four figures stepping out onto the stage.

Luke hadn’t been prepared for any of this but he thought to himself that he’d probably been the least prepared for this, for seeing his 42 year old self. He looked so old, although still like him. Their sense of fashion had clearly changed with the times, or they’d just dressed up for the occasion. They were all in smart jeans with t-shirts and blazers, with the exception of old-Reggie who had gone with a leather jacket instead.

“Bobby, you look like a substitute teacher.” Luke heard Alex comment, and he had to bite his lip to stop himself from laughing. 

“Shut up, you don’t look any better.” Bobby retaliated. “What’s with the short hair?” He shrugged, gesturing at the stage. It was true that old-Alex had cut his hair, it now short at the sides with only a slightly longer bit on top. 

“I think it looks good.” Luke found himself replying without thinking it through, instantly regretting it as both Reggie and Bobby sent him questioning looks. He didn’t mind the look from Alex though, which seemed to be that same curious hope-laced look from earlier. No, he didn’t mind that at all. Besides, it was true, Alex had aged well and the older version of him was just as hot as the current version. 

Luckily the Sunset Curve on stage started speaking then, saving Luke from any further queries on the subject. The band took it in turn to talk, each of them giving their own little thank you speech. Luke felt a lump building in his throat when it got to his turn and he heard his older self mentioning his parents. It was reassuring to hear that they manage to make amends in the future, even if things were tough right now for them.

“As we say in Bright,” His older self started saying. Luke could feel all of his bandmates’ eyes turn to him but he didn’t look back, no, because his older self was looking right at him and Luke couldn’t find it in him to look away. Caleb had said no-one else could see them, but that didn’t stop it feeling like his older self was staring right into his soul. 

It made sense if he thought about it. If this really was their future, then the Luke up on stage had once been the Luke where he stood now. So twenty-five years later, he had simply remembered where they had stood and was talking to his past self.

“Life’s a risk but you have to take it.” His older self continued. “Sometimes you just have to close your eyes and jump.” That got cheers from the crowd and Luke couldn’t help but smile to himself. He definitely needed to work on Bright again once he got back to 1995.

There were a few more thanks given out to various record labels and management before the boys (men?) on stage were lifting their award statues to cheers from the crowd. Luke tried to drink it all in, the love in the room for Sunset Curve bringing a lump to his throat. If the boys noticed him getting emotional then they didn’t say anything. They all knew the moment they were witnessing had been Luke’s one goal in life for as long as he could remember.

The band on stage disappeared off stage before returning a few minutes later with their instruments. 

“You boys get to watch one song of the set and then we’re going back to 1995, okay?” Caleb told them. “I can’t be showing you too much.”

The boys all nodded, the four of them grinning as the opening notes to Now or Never rung out through the room.

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter Two is almost complete and should be here in the next few days!


End file.
